Read Online Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman - Free Book Online Page A

than an education.” He snorts at his own joke.
    I open my mouth to protest, close it just in time.
    His brow furrows again. “But you can’t just enroll on the spur-of-the-moment. You have to apply here way in advance.”
    “Oh. Yeah.” I knew that! Why didn’t I prepare for this? I should have a thorough explanation ready, and here I am making it up on the fly. “What I meant was I applied because we thought we’d move here and I got in, but then we thought Dad didn’t get the job so we didn’t move here and then at the last minute he did get it, so here I am.” I spread my hands out like ta-dah ! Christ, I’m sweating like a pig.
    “Uh-huh.”
    “So anyway, about the uniform . . .”
    “Right. The uniform.” He looks me up and down. “You’re about my size. I’ve got a couple extras if you want to borrow one for now.”
    I’m so relieved I clutch at his blazer in delight. “Really? You’d do that for me?”
    A couple guys walking past do a double take and Tyler looks alarmed. He wriggles out of my grasp. “No biggie.”
    “Thank you!” I can see from the strange looks I’m getting that I’m standing out, so I quickly sling my thumbs through my belt loops, slouch, and try to look manly. “That’d be awesome.”

Chapter Seven
    W e stop by the Buick and grab my duffel bag, then head down a footpath that leads from the parking lot to a four-story brick building covered in ivy. Darcy was right: It’s a stunning campus. The rolling lawns are expansive seas of green spreading out in every direction.
    “Here are the dorms.” We’ve reached the brick building. “Each floor is for a different class. You’re a junior, so you’ll be on the third floor.”
    “Okay. Great!” A quick glance from him reminds me to back off on the enthusiasm. “I mean, cool.”
    “Let’s see . . . who do they have you rooming with?” He pulls a piece of paper from his pocket and squints at it. “Oh, yeah, Emilio. He’ll be bummed. Nobody with a single wants a roommate.”
    “Roommate?” Of course I’ll have a roommate! Why didn’t I think of that? Oh, God, how am I going to change my clothes? Am I really going to sleep next to a guy I’ve never even met? How weird is that? I can feel panic rising in me, a claustrophobic terror. “I thought I might room alone. Is that possible?”
    Tyler guffaws. “Nobody gets their own room. Emilio’s roommate transferred to Exeter at the last minute; that’s the only reason he’s on his own.” Tyler yanks open the heavy door and leads me up a drafty cement stairwell, glancing over his shoulder. “Man, you look kind of sick. You okay?”
    “Me?” It comes out as a squeak; I clear my throat. “Fine.”
    By now we’ve reached the third floor. Tyler leans against the metal bar, the door swings open, and we step into the hallway. The cold, echoing stairwell vanishes behind us and we’re engulfed in chaos: doors slamming, guys laughing, people shouting. A guy in an Underwood blazer, socks, and no pants uses a plastic foosball bat to swat a crumpled ball of paper down the hall at his friend. The ball whizzes over everyone’s heads and tags me on the cheek.
    “Two points!” the batter cries.
    “The junior floor,” Tyler announces. “The dorms are a little hectic in the morning. I always get up at six to avoid the traffic.”
    I have to step back as a skinny, dark-haired, dripping wet guy wearing nothing but a towel almost runs me over.
    “I can see why,” I mumble.
    As we make our way down the hall there’s a stream of guys passing in and out of a room on our left. As we get closer and the door opens I can hear a cacophony of flushing toilets and showers; a cloud of steamy wet air escapes into the hall. The smell of cologne, toothpaste, shampoo, and other, earthier scents assault my nostrils. I make the mistake of turning to look and see a long line of guys in various states of undress doing their thing at the urinals.
    Oh, God. Urinals. That’s something else